Saturday Feb 18 from 10 am – noon join the protest at TD Bank in Rutland (note: we’re at the intersection on the corner)

Tuesday, February 21 at 6pm upstairs at the Rutland Library Democratic County Meeting

Thursday, February 23 at 6 pm Rights and Democracy are going to be meeting in the Leahy room at the hospital in Rutland

Saturday February 25 Health care rally – According to a recent email from Rights and Democracy, Bernie is calling for health care rallies around Vermont on Saturday, Feb 25th. If you are interested, Carol Ballou has asked will sign us up for hosting one. Contact: wmsgal@gmail.com

NEW ITEMS REQUIRING ACTION in no particular order – there are a lot, but that’s because I know that people are interested in different things. Pick the issue that you’re most concerned about, and take an action.

Action: Familiarize yourself with a starter guide to create a Community Defense Zone for vulnerable populations. This guide provides useful information for small-scale actions (like contacting your representatives and meeting with your faith leader) to larger-scale actions, which our group could certainly take if there’s interest. http://mijente.net/2017/02/10/community-defense-zone-guide/

“This week Nordstrom dropped Ivanka Trump’s line because it wasn’t performing well anymore. Afterwards, Trump sent a tweet attacking Nordstrom (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/829356871848951809) (Official @Potus account retweeted Trump’s personal account tweet attacking Nordstrom https://twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/829381489380958209). Kellyanne Conwayresponded by advising everyone to “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff” … “I’m going to give a free commercial here: Go buy it today, everybody; you can find it online.” This violates federal regulations against using your federal office to endorse or promote any private product or service. Representative Chaffetz said that Ms. Conway was “wrong, wrong, wrong” to endorse Ivanka. Representatives Chaffetz and Cummings sent a letter asking that Kellyanne be investigated by the Office of Government Ethics. The letter states, “Conway’s statements clearly violate the ethical principles for federal employees and are unacceptable.” But Ms. Conway’s ethical violations, while clear, can’t compare to Trump’s own. Trump has still refused to release is taxes or clear his conflicts of interest and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (led by Chaffetz) will not investigate. Love is blind, but the trust that Trump set up to hold his assets is not.” (from wall-of-us.org and https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/829721074011090944 )

Action: Contact your local state representatives to make sure that they support this legislation. To find them use https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ or text your zip code to 520-200-2223 and you will receive a text with the phone numbers of your federal and local government legislators).

Script: Hi! I am one of the Senator’s/Representative’s constituents in Vermont and I’m asking the Senator/Representative to denounce the removal of the website associated with the education of disabled children. Betsy DeVos’ assault on the welfare of our children is unacceptable and I expect the Senator/Representative to oppose it. Thank you.

Action: Send Trump a postcard: Donald Trump, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500 Script: You haven’t received a phone call complaining about DAPL because you turned off your comment line. Turn the comment line back on and stop DAPL.

Action: Contact Leahy: Local office 802-863-2525 https://www.leahy.senate.gov/contact/Script: I’m [NAME], a constituent calling to ask the Senator to publicly stand with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Army Corp of Engineers’ decision to grant the final easement for the DAPL has placed the drinking water of millions of Americans at risk. The decision was granted without a proper environmental impact statement. I want the Senator to do whatever it takes to put a hold on any further action until that assessment is completed. I do not support Trump’s agenda to violate tribal sovereignty in the name of corporate interests. (from http://thesixtyfive.org/theIssues)

Script: Hi, I’m [NAME], a constituent. I’m calling to urge [Senator or Representative’s NAME] to demand an independent investigation into Michael Flynn’s communication with Russia in the months prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration. There is strong evidence that Flynn spoke with the Russian government about US sanctions, which is illegal under the Logan Act. Flynn has resigned as National Security Advisor, but this does not resolve the issues related to the efforts made by Pence and Trump to cover up his activities. I expect [Senator or Representatives NAME] to condemn Flynn’s actions in the strongest possible terms and push for a thorough investigation into the extent of his communication with Russia. Thank you. (adapted from http://thesixtyfive.org/weeklyCTA )

Last week’s petition discussed the danger of Bannon joining the National Security Council

Script: I’m a constituent of the senator in Vermont and I’m very concerned that the House has voted to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission. I am asking the senator to vote against any legislation that would endanger the security of our elections. At a time when foreign hacking, illegal voting, and voting machine tampering are all in play, throwing the independent agency created to address such issues under the bus is not only bad timing but bad policy. If anything, support for the Commission should be strengthened, not weakened. Though some have suggested its functions could be taken up by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), it is unrealistic to ask the FEC to take on this role given that its current function is to monitors campaign contributions. I urge and expect Senator [_________] to represent me by taking two concrete steps: publicly opposing HR 634, and voting against it, in any form, in any stage of the democratic process. (from https://www.wall-of-us.org/weekly-acts-of-resistance/2017/2/11/action-2-keep-calling)

“The “fiduciary rule” is currently slated to go into effect April 10. It is intended to force retirement advisers to disclose conflicts of interest and eliminate hidden fees. The Trump administration is working on a proposal to delay the start date of the rule. The rule is opposed by industry groups that argue it unfairly exposes them to litigation and limits consumers’ choices. But on Wednesday, a Texas court upheld the rule and rejected a lawsuit filed by business groups that challenged the regulation. That could make it difficult for the Trump administration to make substantive changes to the rule down the road. The White House issued a presidential memo ordering the DOL to review the regulation, and public records show a status update was slated for March 10.” (http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/10/the-trump-administration-is-preparing-to-delay-the-fiduciary-rule–for-real-this-time.html)

Action: Call your senators

Sanders Local office 802-862-0697

Leahy: Local office 802-863-2525

Caller: Good morning/afternoon! Can you let me know the Senator’s position on President Trump’s memo to the Department of Labor regarding the Fiduciary Rule?

Caller: That’s great! I’m calling to say that if Senator Bob truly believes, as I do, that there is a retirement savings crisis, then he should do everything he can to stop the Trump Administration from harming retirement savers and dismantling the fiduciary rule. This means making public statements standing with retirement savers who deserve a secure and dignified retirement and calling out the Wall Street special interests that are trying to pick retirement savers’ pockets.

I’m happy to hear the Senator opposes this reversal by the Trump administration. But will he commit to opposing Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor until you get an answer about his position on the fiduciary rule?

Caller: That’s terrible. What that means is Senator Bob is choosing to enrich Wall Street special interests over [his/her] hard-working constituents saving for retirement. [He/she]’s letting these advisers get kickbacks for steering me into risky and unnecessary investments. A White House report showed those conflicts of interests have cost retirement savers $17 billion a year. There is a crisis in America and we need to make every retirement dollar that we save count. We need and deserve protections that ensure that, when we receive advice, it is in our best interest, not our advisor’s or the firm’s. Did you know the presidential memo was written by Wall Street lobbyists?

Staffer: But this rule is unworkable and will make it harder for Americans to access advice.

Caller: That’s wrong. It will make it harder for advisors to give bad advice. If it’s not in savers’ best interest, it’s not advice. It’s a sales pitch dressed up as advice. Does Senator Bob think it’s acceptable that Wall Street firms and their trade associations advertise as “trusted advisors” and offer “retirement planning services” but then when they’re trying to get out of being held accountable for their advice, they claim in court that they are just salespeople merely selling products? In any other situation, that would be fraud. Does Senator Bob support fraud?

OPTION 3: DODGES/HAS NO POSITION

Staffer: Thank you for calling! I have no idea what the fiduciary rule is, but I’m happy to take down your concerns.

Caller: That’s disappointing to hear—this is very import issue for millions of Americans, myself included. By eliminating the fiduciary rule, the Trump administration is choosing to enrich Wall Street special interests over Senator Bob’s hard-working constituents saving for retirement. He’s letting these advisers get kickbacks for steering me into risky and unnecessary investments. A White House reportshowed those conflicts of interests have cost retirement savers $17 billion a year. Did you know the presidential memo was written by Wall Street lobbyists?

Staffer: I didn’t know that but I’m happy to take down your concerns.

Caller: Here’s my concern: We need and deserve protections that ensure that, when we receive professional financial advice, it is in our best interest, not our advisor’s or the firm’s. I expect Senator Bob will represent his continuent like me—and not Wall Street or Trump. I expect Senator Bob to do two things to prove that he in on my side here:

Publicly state his support for the fiduciary rule

Commit to opposing Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor until you get an answer about his position on the fiduciary rule

Will Senator Bob take these two steps to protect his constituents?

Staffer: I will certainly pass on your concerns to the Senator.

Caller: Please do, and please take down my contact information to let me know when the Senator has made up his mind. I’m eager to hear what he decides.

Script: I’m one of the Senator’s constituents in Vermont and I’m concerned about the recent operation in Yemen which resulted in the death of a US Seal and several civilians. I would like the Senator to support an investigation into US actions and objectives in Yemen. Thank you.

Script: I’m one of the Senator’s constituents in Vermont and I’m concerned about what appears to have been a serious breach of security last weekend at Mar-a-Lago. Club members are taking pictures of key personnel and posting these pictures to the internet. Club members were also present and taking photos when Trump was reviewing a briefing regarding North Korean weapons testing. I would like the Senator to look into the lax security measures in the current administration. Thank you.

Script: I am one of the Representative’s constituents in Vermont. I am asking the Representative to vote to protect the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and to vote against Hensarling’s plan to dismantle it. Thank you.

Script: I’m one of the Senator’s constituents in Vermont and I’m very concerned about the stories indicating that border patrol agents are preventing entry into the United States based on responses to religious questions and queries regarding attitudes towards Trump. I am particularly disturbed about a story indicating that a US-born NASA scientist had his NASA-issued phone seized and that it was not returned to him until he had provided the border patrol agent access to the phone. This is a serious breach of security. I would like the Senator to take a stand against this discriminatory and dangerous breach of privacy for individuals entering the US, whether or not the individuals are American citizens. Thank you.

Script: I am deeply disturbed that the Department of Justice chose not to contest a Texas federal judge’s injunction on a federal law to protect transgender children in schools. The DoJ must stand to protect all children. I expect it to do so.

Trump continues with plans to build a wall between Mexico and the US, as discussed in the second newsletter.

Action: Send a fragment of brick to the politicians behind this plan to mock their plan. (from Glenn Reed)

Dear (Senator McConnell, Congressman Ryan, President Trump),

I understand that you are committed to building the “Beautiful Trump Wall” along the 1,900 mile U.S. and Mexican border. This would certainly be in the tradition of the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. However, as an American and a taxpayer, I have some concerns with this proposed project.

I have read various estimates on how much this “Wall” would cost “we, the people,” since it’s clear that we will be left footing the bill. Some have ranged as high as $25 billion dollars or more and you KNOW that there are always cost overruns on every such project.

So exactly how WILL we pay for this wall since you are always so concerned about the national debt and such? Oh, I expect that you’ll decide to slash away at the federal budget in the usual places—programs that actually benefit millions of us and the country as a whole such as Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, Social Security, subsidized housing, education and such. However, I have a better suggestion that could serve as an alternative for all of us and make such cuts unnecessary!

Millions of Americans can donate building materials for your Wall in order to slash costs and not dig a bigger national debt. Consider the enclosed a gift in the spirit to “Make America Great Again!” and as “Another Brick for Your Wall!”

Donate toNo Kid Hungry. The nonprofit helps feed American schoolchildren so they can stay full and focused in the classroom. One $10 gift can provide up to 100 meals to a kid who could use it

Support theKids in Need Foundation. The nonprofit provides thousands of backpacks filled with school supplies to students in need every year, giving them the tools they need to succeed in class

Donate toFirst Book. This nonprofit provides new books and other learning materials to kids and families in need. Since it was founded in 1992, the group has given away 160 million books and education resources